Preconference activities on Jan. 25 will focus on women in agriculture.

Cochaired by Carol Goland and Noreen Warnock, the one-day event is designed for women who want to begin farming, to get more involved in family operation, or to stay farming will offer a series of workshops led by experienced Ohio women farmers and others.

Everyone, however, is invited to attend.

Workshops will include:

* Sharing Our Stories: Ohio Women in Agriculture

* Do You Want To Farm?, an interactive workshop led by Stacy Hall of Big Rumen Farm in Athens County, Ohio.

* The Nuts and Bolts, a look at the farming business led by Julie Fox from the OSU South Center.

There will also be a panel discussion session featuring women in diverse Ohio agricultural enterprises, including dairy, vegetables, grain, and livestock.

Annual meeting. The annual conference on Jan. 26 will include a two track program, one on sustainable agriculture production and the other on marketing and distribution.

Opening speaker will be Gary Zimmer, author of The Biological Farmer and founder of Midwest Bio-Ag, a sustainable agriculture consulting firm. One of his primary interests has been the biology of soil.

He will also lead a workshop session on Starting with the Soil. Other workshops will include diversifying crop rotation, marketing from the farm, developing regional distribution systems.

There will also be a series of open space sessions where participants will decide the topics of discussion.